1. About cookies
- A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
- Cookies may be either "persistent" cookies or "session" cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
- Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.
2. Cookies that we use
- We use cookies for the following purposes:
(a) to help us to analyse the use and performance of our website and services
(b) to store your preferences in relation to the use of cookies more generally. - We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website. Google Analytics gathers information about website use by means of cookies. The information gathered relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website. Google's privacy policy is available at: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/. Google Analytics uses the following cookies:
- _ga - Used to distinguish users. Expires after 2 years.
- _ga_XH015Q5XV4 - Used to persist session state. Expires after 2 years.
- Our website sets the following necessary cookies:
- exp_csrf_token (CSRF token) - A security cookie used to identify the user and prevent Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, lifetime 7200.
- exp_flash (Flash data) - User feedback messages, encrypted for security, lifetime 0.
- exp_remember (Remember Me) - Determines whether a user is automatically logged in upon visiting the site, lifetime 1209600.
- exp_sessionid (Session ID) - Used to associate a logged in user with their data, lifetime 3600.
- exp_visitor_consents (Visitor Consents) - Saves responses to Consent requests for non-logged in visitors, lifetime 31104000.
- Our website may set any of the following functionality cookies:
- exp_last_activity (Last Activity) - Records the time of the last page load. Used in in calculating active sessions.
- exp_last_visit (Last Visit) - Date of the user’s last visit, based on the last_activity cookie. Can be shown as a statistic for members and used by forum and comments to show unread topics for both members and guests.
- exp_anon (Anonymize) - Determines whether the user’s username is displayed in the list of currently logged in members.
- exp_tracker (Tracker) - Contains the last 5 pages viewed, encrypted for security. Typically used for form or error message returns.
3. Managing cookies
- You can manage cookie preferences here.
- Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies and to delete cookies. The methods for doing so vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can however obtain up-to-date information about blocking and deleting cookies via these links:
(a) Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en
(b) Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enhanced-tracking-protection-firefox-desktop
(c) Opera: https://help.opera.com/en/latest/web-preferences/#cookies
(d) Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/ibrw850f6c51/16.1/mac/13.0
(e) Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/microsoft-edge-browsing-data-and-privacy-bb8174ba-9d73-dcf2-9b4a-c582b4e640dd - Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.
- If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.